You’ve received that acceptance letter, made that infamous surprised face and celebrated with your friends and family. Now you’re faced with your class schedule and you’re staring at the wall of your dorm room, wondering how on earth you’re going to make it through first year. I was there two years ago. Now, I’m halfway through my degree (made it) and loving London life. Here are 10 of my top tips to help you get through that nerve-wracking first year without losing your cool.

Study from day one.

Yup, I’m starting right in at the deep end. Take it from me on this one – do not procrastinate. Make sure you understand all your course material from the get go, don’t give in to the temptation of “Oh I’ll just crack it a month before exams”. If you don’t crack it now, chances are you won’t in April. Or whenever you tend to start panicking about exams.

Meet lots of people.

Moving to university means meeting a lot of new people. Coming from an introvert, embrace it. Get to know people you may never have associated yourself with at school, talk to them and make lots of friends. You’ll learn more about the world, people’s beliefs and last but not least, yourself.

Learn to cook.

I cannot stress this enough. This is the perfect time to learn to whip up a good meal, especially since you’re living away from home. Forget the “I burnt the house down whilst making toast” memes, knuckle down and teach yourself some basic cooking skills. There are plenty of tutorials on YouTube to suit your tastes, from how to dice an onion to how to make cauliflower pizza dough (if that’s your thing). If those don’t work, find a friend who knows their way around a kitchen and learn from them. If I can do it, anyone can.

Don’t be that person who steals food.

People will find out, don’t break that sacred bond of trust. Just don’t do it. If someone’s been stealing yours, put it in containers (perfect for meal prepping) and make it look as off-putting and distasteful as possible. Just make sure you know how long it’s been there.

Drink wisely.

We’ll keep it short – eat before you drink anything, and drink plenty of water when you get home from a night out. I learned these the hard way. You’re welcome.

Go to your lectures.

It’s tempting to skip a lecture – all the material will be online anyway. Don’t do it – just show up and take as many notes as you like. This saved me hours of teaching myself stuff.

Invest in lots of PJs.

You’ll bring all your best clothes to university wanting to make a good impression but you’ll end up spending 95% of your time in PJs. Fluffy, satin, cotton, whatever you like. Get yourself some good ones.

Learn to budget.

It’s a good idea to keep an Excel spreadsheet of your monthly spendings (and earnings if you’ve found yourself a job). This sounds very adulty but I promise you’ll appreciate it when you have to listen to your friends moan about how broke they are. Save yourself the trouble and you’ll be able to smugly splash on some high-end makeup as a birthday treat.

Sleep is precious.

Your life will suddenly get so much busier at uni despite the fact that you had 10 classes a day at school and you now have 10 classes a week. Save your energy for all the other stuff and get good sleep whenever you can. Naps saved my life.

Stick to your principles.

Last but not least, uni is the time to experiment. You’ll learn some lessons, and discover some things you never thought you’d enjoy. Go through it all with an open mind, but as Richard Dawkins said, “By all means let’s be open-minded, but not so open-minded that our brains fall out.” Maintain your sense of self and boss it at everything you do.

For those of you starting university in September, I wish you the best of luck and hope you enjoy yourself. Make the most of it – you’ll be graduating in the blink of an eye!

This post is sponsored by Babbleboxx on behalf of Single Edition Media. As always all opinions are my own. Hey a girls gotta eat.

Happy August!

Depending on where you attend school, you either have already started classes or about to start for the Fall Semester. Whether it’s your first time at college or 4th, there are always some college essential must haves that will make your semester run smooth.

All college students need a classic and fashionable watch. The Casio Vintage Watch is a perfect option. This watch has a timeless and sleek design and features include a stopwatch, alarm and EL backlight, all while being waterproof.

It happens to us all. With the weather (eventually) cooling down, sometimes our health gets put on the back burner. College students aren’t exactly the cleanest people you will ever meet. These are a must have to stay healthy during the Fall. Throat drops can help soothe a scratchy throat during the changing seasons. They even come in great flavors like cherry or watermelon.

Ever heard of study treats? Basically, the concept is that if you read a certain amount of pages while studying, you get a little bite size treat. A perfect option would be Sour Punch mini bites. Another great idea is to keep them in your room to share with friends. They are a perfect size and delicious.

I need to utilize all the free time I have during each semester. I would much rather be studying or relaxing than grocery shopping.
EZneeds makes shopping easy with their one stop shopping. The products were quickly delivered right to my door. Ezneeds helps me spend my free time doing what I really need to do.

There is NO membership is required to shop with EzNeeds. They have fast and free 1-3 day shipping nationwide for all orders over $50.

Book: In the little free time you will have, cozying up with a great book can be so relaxing. A great read for those type of moments is “The princess saves herself in this one”. Winner of the 2016 Goodreads Choice Award for Poetry, this book features a collection of poetry in four parts: the princess, the damsel, the queen, and you. It is a must have read.

Planner: I have a confession to make. I am obsessed with planners. There I said it. Especially when it comes to school, I prefer to have all my assignments written down in one convenient place. Not only is this 2017- 2018 planner filled with awesome quotes, it has enough space in it for any college student to be the super organized student they always wanted to be. This adorable planner help you do just that for the next year!

The fabulous thing about ordering this blanket is that Viv & Lou will put a personalized monogram OR name for free on the blanket. Viv & Lou is a great place to buy personalized gifts for yourself, friends and family.

Use code CollegeWanderlust25 to get 25% off your next purchase through September 30th, 2017.

I would love to know what some of your college essentials are! Leave a comment below!

Here’s to fabulous semester!

Picture yourself, excited for college. You have your classes picked out, the only thing you need now is a place to live. Choosing a college apartment can be a great alternative to living in a dorm or with your parents.

You get freedom, more space and awesome amenities that you might not find in a typical dorm room.

Here are the things you should consider while finding the perfect apartment space for yourself.

Price range

Obviously, this should be your first concern. Realize what your price range is BEFORE you go look at apartments.

It would absolutely suck to fall in love with an apartment and realize it is out of your price range.

Also if you are unemployed or working only game time, you might need a cosigner or a guarantor.

Location

The first question to keep in mind is how far are you willing to drive?

How far are you willing to live from your campus and job?

I personally wanted to live relatively close to campus so that I could walk to class if I wanted to. Parking is typically pretty bad on most college campuses so living close is a definite plus.

Marisa Martin attended Pepperdine University in Malibu, California and said her story deviates from most people who study abroad.

Marisa, creator of www.thetravelingstorygirl.com said her nickname is Storygirl because she is always telling stories.

“I chose Pepperdine University to go to for all four years of my undergraduate studies because they offered a study abroad program through the university,” Marisa said.

During her sophomore year, she studied abroad in Heidelberg, Germany.

“Pepperdine’s abroad program is nice because all students can take classes that will transfer directly to their studies and one doesn’t have to worry about taking classes that wouldn’t be beneficial. With Pepperdine, we live in a house with 60 other students from Pepperdine and take classes with Pepperdine students that are taught by Pepperdine Faculty (but who are from Germany),” she said.

Marisa said she took only general education classes and history classes while abroad.

Since I was studying with Pepperdine, we could take all of the G.E. classes that we would have to take anyways, but at least I got to study in Germany! I also studied history pertaining to German history and World War 2, which applied to my history minor.
7. Did you live on or off campus? With Pepperdine, I was required to live in the same house with all of the other students. Some people didn’t like it, but I was living in a mansion next to a castle in Germany so I thought it was wonderful.
Marisa is a broadcast journalism student with a minor in German history.

“I will be attending law school. Since I was only completing my general education, there was no problem with my major while studying in Germany,” she said.

For more information about Marisa, be sure to visit her blog – www.thetravelingstorygirl.com or email her at thetravelingstorygirl@yahoo.com

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3 months agoby collegewanderlustSUMMER FAVES: @oz_naturals sent me some of their natural products to try and I am absolutely obsessed with them. My skin is glowing a full review + my summer faves will be up on the blog shortly

2 weeks agoby collegewanderlustI would like to show you the most fabulous thing I have ever seen in my entire life. You soon will be mine!!

2 months agoby collegewanderlustThis is a picture of me casually drinking wine at a festival I attended. You can tell I am already drunk by how squinty my eyes look. I had tons of fun + tried lots of awesome wines.... ummmm perfect day, amriteorwhat?? UNCORKED ADVENTURES: new post on the blog :) [link in bio]

2 months agoby collegewanderlustThis is a picture of me casually drinking wine at a festival I attended. You can tell I am already drunk by how squinty my eyes look. I had tons of fun + tried lots of awesome wines.... ummmm perfect day, amriteorwhat?? UNCORKED ADVENTURES: new post on the blog :) [link in bio]

1 day agoby collegewanderlust"She has a way with words, red lipstick, and making an entrance" - Kate Spade

3 months agoby collegewanderlustSUMMER FAVES: @oz_naturals sent me some of their natural products to try and I am absolutely obsessed with them. My skin is glowing a full review + my summer faves will be up on the blog shortly